Chanbara (チャンバラ)




Chanbara is a Japanese Martial Art founded by Tanabe Tetsundo. Tetsundo called his school the Goshindo school. Goshindo was the original Japanese martial art that was practiced with swords. Chanbara is what it became nicknamed after, as it more free form of Goshindo. Chanbara means 'sword fighter'.
The group was made of some of the best sword fighters of Japan. They changed their styles and training methods to become even better at practicing their skills with the sword.
Chanbara is the combat form of Kenjutsu (剣術), which is the "art of the sword".
Chopping Tatami Mats
Chopping Tatami Mats





Nowadays, Chanbara is still taught and with the changes in society, schools are being set up to teach traditional martial arts. Instead of using real swords that could seriously injure someone, they use rubber, and foam to make the sticks or swords to make them less harmful.

external image chanbara%20double.jpg
external image weapons.jpg Different Weapons:
  • Tanto - knife / dagger
  • Kodachi - short sword
  • Choken - Long sword
  • Bo - staff
  • Yari - Spear
  • Naginata - halberd
  • Nunchucku
  • Nito Ryu - Double swords
  • Sword and shield
  • Spear and shield
  • Tate - shield




During the fight the fighters will have to shout the part of the body they are planning to hit. For each hit the person gains one point, and a total of three points is required to win. To check if everything goes according to the rules, there are three judges. One is in the center playing referee, and two are on the corners. if both players hit each other at the same time, both fighters gain one point, this is called Auichi. However, when it is 2-2, and there is an Auichi, it stays 2-2 and there is no tie-breaking.
Does the fighter step out of bounds, he gets a warning. Does it happen again it is a time out and this gives a point to the opponent. If a sword drops or a player drops, the match is not stopped but continues to go on. However, poor sportmanship leads to a disqualification.

There are usually different rounds, with different styles of weapons. Usually it is short sword, a long sword and a double sword round. However changes can be made during the roundes for different techniques to be displayed.
In the final match, the grand championship, the opponents will use the weapons that they won with in the formar matches. This makes it more interesting to see different styles in one match, as the fighters use different weapons.

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Logos of the United States Chanbara Association

external image Chanbara-Association%20black%20back.jpg external image markbig.gif

Certificate of Instructor

chanbara_cert.jpg



































Chanbara Song




http://www.typesofmartialarts.com/chanbara
http://www.typesofmartialarts.com/tanabetetsudno
http://www.scribd.com/doc/17194350/Rogue-Games-Tabbloid-July-8-2009-Edition
http://www.articlesbase.com/martial-arts-articles/do-you-know-chanbara-486398.html
http://bigbaddie.com/2009/01/28/great-moments-in-film-history-4-chanbara-beauty/
http://www.huards.com/chanbara.html